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Haaland, Rice, Semenyo: Who is your Premier League Player of the Year?

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Haaland, Rice, Semenyo: Who is your Premier League Player of the Year?


We’re fast approaching the business end of the 2025-26 Premier League season, and heading into March, everything is still very much to play for. The title race has coalesced into a two-team battle between leaders Arsenal and chasers Manchester City, while the push for Champions League soccer next season is neatly poised between several clubs — defending champions Liverpool are on the outside looking in, needing to close the gap to Aston Villa, Manchester United and Chelsea.

At the bottom end of the table, Wolves‘ fate appears certain (they are 17 points adrift from safety with just 10 games left) and, to a lesser extent, Burnley‘s too (eight points back with 11 to play), but the third and final relegation spot could go to any one of Nottingham Forest, Tottenham or Leeds United from here.

Equally hard to call is the race for the Premier League’s Player of the Year, with no clear-cut, stand-out candidate yet and plenty of stars making a clear case for the prize. So, with 10 matchdays left, we asked our regular Premier League reporters to make their picks for the top award, and why they are worthy.


Tom Hamilton: Sometimes it makes sense to go for the obvious option. If Manchester City win the league, then you could argue their standout player was one of Bernardo Silva (for his guile), Nico O’Reilly (for his adaptability and temperament) or new arrivals Gianluigi Donnarumma and Antoine Semenyo. But if you want the clear and obvious choice, then it’s Haaland, the man at the top of the scoring charts.

The Norway forward is in the middle of a relatively quiet spell for his club, but his 22 league goals have helped City to where they are. The big change for Haaland this year? He’s becoming more of an all-around contributor and his work rate is through the roof, to the extent that he has also notched seven assists, second only to Bruno Fernandes and one behind his best total of eight back in the 2022-23 campaign. That’s 29 goal contributions. Not bad.

Take City’s recent 2-1 win over Newcastle: Haaland had more touches of the ball than ever before (43), he made the third-most clearances for the team (after Rodri and Marc Guéhi) and won 12 duels, the most he has managed in a top-flight game. “He’s an incredible, generous player, so today is a performance, and I’ll never forget what Erling has done for us,” manager Pep Guardiola said afterward.

So be afraid, Premier League: Haaland is evolving into a more all-around player, and his goals and assists should see him deservedly crowned player of the season.

James Olley: With everything in the league still to play for, from title to top four to relegation, it’s too early to be conclusive about this, but Arsenal are top of the table at present, and Declan Rice has been the heartbeat of a team competing impressively on four fronts.

Only Martín Zubimendi (2,360) has played more outfield Premier League minutes for the Gunners than Rice’s 2,329, and Rice ranks second in the division for chances created (defined by Opta as key passes and assists) behind Bruno Fernandes. But he is about much more than stats. Rice drives the Arsenal team forward as he has developed into a complete midfielder, affecting the game in his box-to-box role while also proving an extremely efficient set piece taker.

If Arsenal are to keep the pace, it will largely be a result of Rice maintaining the level of form and influence he has shown so far.

Sam Tighe: When there’s no “obvious” pick like during this season, it can trick you into thinking there haven’t been any outstanding candidates. But as the group outlines, we’re hardly short of incredible individual campaigns, are we?

I’ll throw my support in for James’ pick of Rice. In a Premier League landscape where physicality, mobility and tenacity reign supreme, the 27-year-old is the division’s leading light. To put it into context, among Arsenal players, only Zubimendi (293.57 km) has covered more ground than Rice (285.48 km) this term, while among all Premier League central midfielders, only Sandro Tonali (33.37 km/h) has clocked a higher max speed than Rice (33.17 km/h).

Rice is fast and relentless; if the Gunners win the title, his frenzied, all-action style will symbolize their approach to doing so. Yet he also backs up those athletic traits with finesse where required. There are very few better corner takers in the sport right now, and there’s no doubt he’s steadily getting better at picking a pass through the lines.

Beth Lindop: It might seem preposterous to nominate a Liverpool player considering how abject they have been at times this season, but in terms of pure individual excellence, Szoboszlai would be my pick.

In the summer, there was a suggestion in some quarters that the Hungary international could lose his place in the team following the arrival of the £116 million playmaker, Florian Wirtz, from Bayer Leverkusen. However, Szoboszlai has this season established himself as the first name on Arne Slot’s team sheet, with his relentless running, tactical flexibility and, of course, his eye for a spectacular strike having kept the Reds’ campaign from descending into total disaster.

With 10 goals to his name already this season, Szoboszlai is well on course to surpass his career-best goal tally. He has also deputized admirably at right back amid Liverpool’s ongoing injury crisis, while his noticeable willingness to speak more frequently to the media is reflective of a player keen to assume more responsibility within the team and position himself as a future club captain.

Liverpool’s disappointing collective form means Szoboszlai will most likely miss out on individual accolades, but he should definitely be in the conversation.

Antoine Semenyo, FW, Manchester City (formerly at Bournemouth)

Mark Ogden: This is a tough one because there really hasn’t been an outstanding candidate so far this season, but my pick right now would be Semenyo. He was outstanding for Bournemouth during the first half of the season — his 10 Premier League goals kept Andoni Iraola on the tails of the top six for a while — but his performances meant it was inevitable he would move on in January, and he had a queue of heavyweight clubs wanting to sign him before he chose Manchester City.

Even though a deal was done and his release clause was triggered, Semenyo agreed to stay at Bournemouth for two extra games in January before making his move. No fuss, no drama: just a professional attitude and the perfect sign-off with a stoppage time winner against Spurs in his final game.

His form at City has been just as impressive, and he kept them in the title race during their midseason wobble with three goals in his first five games. So for performing at his top level for two clubs and showing professionalism throughout, I’m going for Semenyo.

Rob Dawson: There were genuine concerns about whether Brentford would be able to avoid relegation this season after losing manager Thomas Frank — as well as key players Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa, Christian Nørgaard and Mark Flekken — in one summer. Goals were expected to be a particular problem after both Mbeumo and Wissa — who combined for 39 in the Premier League last season — moved on.

Frank’s replacement, Keith Andrews, deserves a lot of credit for turning this season into a push for Europe instead of a battle against the drop. But so too does Igor Thiago. His 17 league goals have cushioned the blow of losing Mbeumo and Wissa. It’s a fantastic return for a 24-year-old striker in his first full campaign in England after last season was ruined by injury.

Scoring goals in the toughest league in the world is a big ask, and Thiago has done it regularly. Unfortunately for Brentford, he has done so well that the inevitable question will be: How long can they keep him before he follows Mbeumo and Wissa out of the door?

Gab Marcotti: To me, it’s pretty simple. Aston Villa might be on the slide, but they’re still third, well ahead of Liverpool, Manchester United and Chelsea. And this is after a summer when they didn’t really add anybody of note and lost their sporting director, Monchi, as well. A lot of that is down to Rogers: He has started every game and has usually been a difference-maker each time.

Rogers doesn’t have the greatest supporting cast — certainly not compared to the other suggestions who are sure to crop up — and I think it’s fair to say that, without him, Villa would be midtable at best. Only four players have more open play goal involvements (non-penalty goals and assists) than he does this season, and all of them play for bigger and better-resourced sides: Haaland, Fernandes, Semenyo and João Pedro.

Throw in the fact that he invented Cole Palmer‘s goal celebration — they were teammates at City, and Palmer “borrowed” it from him — and to me he’s the obvious choice.

Arsenal logoMartín Zubimendi, MF, Arsenal

Julien Laurens: When Arsenal spent €60 million last summer to activate his release clause and recruit him from Real Sociedad, there were a lot of skeptics about his adaptation to the Premier League, his potential and even his talent, but there was also concern about his ability to take the Gunners to the next level. And yet, I think he has already proved all the doubters wrong.

It has not always been perfect, obviously — remember his mistake against Manchester United — but overall, he has been impressive. His ability to dictate the tempo of a game, his intelligence and his reading of the play have been outstanding. He has also scored five Premier League goals already, which is more than Szoboszlai, more than Rice and only three less than Rogers, who is a more advanced player, by the way. Some of his goals have also been key, such as the openers against Forest, Leeds and Sunderland, in keeping Arsenal on course for a potential first league title in over 20 years.

Zubimendi makes Rice and Jurriën Timber better, and there is still so much room for improvement from him as well. He has had such a great impact on the team that it’s worth celebrating.



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Maryland’s Okananwa leads D’Tigress refresh as Nigeria call up NCAA talent to face WNBA

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Maryland’s Okananwa leads D’Tigress refresh as Nigeria call up NCAA talent to face WNBA


Just under a month ago, Maryland Terrapins guard Oluchi Okanawa went viral for an intense moment with her coach Brenda Frese in their 74-66 loss to the North Carolina Tar Heels in the NCAA Women’s Basketball tournament.

Now, she is headlining what appears to be a rebuild of the Nigeria women’s basketball program.

Okananwa, the Terrapins star player, was having a dreadful third quarter where she turned the ball over multiple times, missed three free throws and missed a layup before getting yanked by Frese.

What followed turned out to be one of the most viral moments of March Madness. Frese went forehead-to-forehead with the guard in an intense coaching moment, telling her star Terrapin “I believe in you, but you got to want this moment!”

Oluchi went back into the game, immediately scored, got a steal and ended up with 21 points in a remarkable turnaround. She said after the game that she welcomed the intensity of the coaching moment.

“Coach understands I’m a competitor at heart,” she said. “I’ve told her this before, and I’ll keep on telling her this forever. I love to be coached hard. That’s what she does with me every single day.”

Less than four weeks later, Okananwa is now top of the list on the Nigeria women’s basketball team, as they named a 21-player training camp roster ahead of a series of friendlies against WNBA opposition, part of preparations for the 2026 FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in Berlin.

Far from routine, the squad named by head coach Rena Wakama, appears to be a clear indication that D’Tigress are fully in refresh season, with a wave of NCAA-based players called up, led by Okananwa and Texas Tech’s Stephanie Okechukwu, the tallest player in the history of NCAA women’s basketball at 7 feet 1 inch.

Both players are part of a total of 15 players on that roster picked from fourteen different US programs. Of those, Okananwa and Okechukwu are the undisputed picks of a bunch spanning Power Four programs, the Ivy League and the junior college ranks.

It is the most concentrated draw on the NCAA pipeline in D’Tigress history and comes in the wake of the departure of former captain Sarah Ogoke, as the NBBF looks to lower the age of the team with players like Ezinne Kalu, Promise Amukamara, and Victoria Macaulay the other side of 30.

Okananwa, a junior, earned AP and WBCA All-America honorable mention honors this season after averaging 17.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and a Big Ten-leading 74 steals in 33 starts for the Terrapins. She led Maryland in scoring in 28 of 33 games and reached 20 points or more in 14 outings.

With her talent, Okananwa could well be the face and future of Nigeria women’s basketball.

Okechukwu, the 7-foot-1 center from Umunneochi, Nigeria, who attended high school in Japan, signed with Texas Tech in January as the tallest player in the history of NCAA women’s basketball.

She did not play during the 2025-26 season due to NCAA eligibility complications related to her academic transcripts, but remains enrolled at Texas Tech and is expected to compete beginning next season.

Stanford are the only program to contribute more than one player. They are Shay Ijiwoye, a sophomore guard from Phoenix, Arizona, who appeared in 32 games for the Cardinals last season, averaging 2.7 points, 2.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists.

Her teammate Nora Ezike, a freshman forward from La Grange, Illinois, made her Nigeria debut at the FIBA U19 World Cup in Brno, Czechia, last July, where she opened with 25 points on 8-for-8 shooting in Nigeria’s first-ever U19 World Cup victory against China. She played in nine games off the Stanford bench in 2025-26.

Another addition is Uche Izoje, who may be college basketball’s most compelling origin story. The 6-foot-3 center from Asaba, Delta State, left Nigeria at age 13 to play basketball in Japan, spent two seasons with Chanson V-Magic in the Women’s Japan Basketball League as a two-time All-Star and 2024 Rookie of the Year, then arrived in the United States for the first time to play at Syracuse.

In her debut college season she averaged 15.6 points, 9.2 rebounds and a conference-leading 2.6 blocks per game, capping a standout debut season by winning ACC Rookie of the Year and going on to score 23 points in 25 minutes against Iowa State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Hall of Famer Geno Auriemma called her “the best player we’ve seen this year.”

Miami freshman forward Danielle Osho, a four-star recruit from Dacula, Georgia and a two-time Georgia state high school champion, also earns a call-up. Osho averaged 2.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in her first college season with the Hurricanes.

Despite the seemingly overwhelming number of NCAA-related rookies, the squad is held together by an experienced core of vets that include Kalu, Amukamara, Macaulay, Nicole Enabosi and Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah.

But they are also missing just as much experience, including the leadership of captain Amy Okonkwo, who signed a training camp contract with the Dallas Wings after averaging 11.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals across eight appearances in her WNBA debut with the franchise in 2025.

Elizabeth Balogun is in a similar position with the Toronto Tempo. Murjanatu Musa is also absent, competing instead with Basket Landes at the EuroLeague Women’s Final Six in Zaragoza, Spain, where she is in the running for the MVP in only her first season in that competition.

Despite this influx of largely young and untested players, Kunayi-Akpanah says the objective for those three games in the States is clear.

“These aren’t just exhibition games,” she said. “These are games for us to test our plays, our systems and how we communicate under pressure. Basically, everything we’ve been building. All is to arrive in our best shape for the World Cup in September.”

D’Tigress face the Los Angeles Sparks on April 25, the Minnesota Lynx on April 27, and the Indiana Fever on May 2 as part of their preparations for the 2026 FIBA World Cup, which begins September 4 in Berlin, Germany.

Nigeria qualified as AfroBasket champions, but were still required to take part in World Cup qualifying tournament where they went 2-3.

Still, those results were sufficient to maintain their eighth-place standing in the FIBA Women’s World Rankings with 700.3 points and D’Tigress remain the only African nation ranked inside the global top 10.

Full training camp roster:

Promise Amukamara, Shay Ijiwoye, Donanu Regina, Jerni Kiaku, Ezinne Kalu, Oluchi Okananwa, Gabby White, Nora Ezike, Victoria Macaulay, Vivian Iwuchukwu, Pallas Kunayi-Akpanah, Suzie Rafiu, Danielle Osho, Nicole Enabosi, Maryam Dauda, Rita Igbokwe, Stephanie Okechukwu, Uche Izoje, Vera Ojenuwa, Favour Nwaedozi and Blessing Ejiofor.

D’Tigress College Future:

Shay Ijiwoye – Stanford

Donanu Regina – Barton Community College

Jerni Kiaku – Indiana University Hoosiers

Oluchi Okananwa – Maryland

Gabby White – UVA transferring to UNC

Nora Ezike – Stanford

Vivian Iwuchukwu – USC Trojans

Suzie Rafiu – Columbia University

Danielle Osho – Miami Hurricanes

Maryam Dauda – U South Carolina Gamecocks

Rita Igbokwe – Ole Miss

Stephanie Okechukwu – Texas

Uche Izoje – Syracuse

Vera Ojenuwa – UGA

Favour Nwaedozi – Mississippi State





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Notre Dame, Villanova to start men’s, women’s hoops season in Rome

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Notre Dame, Villanova to start men’s, women’s hoops season in Rome


Notre Dame and Villanova will play a men’s and women’s basketball doubleheader Nov. 1 in Rome to open the season.

The universities are promoting the matchups as a chance to celebrate their shared mission and heritage as Catholic schools. The jointly hosted event will include “special programming that brings together academics, athletics and spirituality,” Villanova said in its announcement.

“From academic engagement and cultural immersion to shared worship and athletics, this journey offers a profound opportunity to grow in mind, body and spirit,” said the Rev. Peter Donohue, Villanova’s school president.

The schools said the election of Pope Leo XIV, an Augustinian friar and Villanova alumnus, was the inspiration for scheduling the game.

Those attending the Italian excursion will have the opportunity for a shared Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica, a planned papal audience with Pope Leo XIV before the games and private tours of the Vatican Museums.

College teams playing overseas is expected to become more common amid a growing influx of international talent. Twenty-three of the 62 players on Final Four rosters listed their hometown as being in another country, and NCAA data shows the number of international players on Division I rosters (888) has more than doubled since 2010.

Games in Croatia and Serbia are in the works and planned for November as part of a new College Basketball International Series launched by Intersport and Rochelle Management Group.



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2026 NBA playoffs: Western Conference first-round takeaways

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2026 NBA playoffs: Western Conference first-round takeaways


The 2026 NBA playoffs began Saturday, and our NBA insiders have you covered for every game in the march to the Finals.

The Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves kicked things off for the Western Conference on Saturday. Jamal Murray, who was a first-time All-Star this season, led all players with 30 points to help the Nuggets take a 1-0 lead. Nikola Jokic added 25 points despite a slow first half. Anthony Edwards kept the Wolves in the game with 22 points, but it wasn’t enough.

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Houston Rockets 107-98 in the day’s final game. The Lakers have had to turn to LeBron James at the end of the regular season after losing Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves indefinitely to injuries, but the Rockets were also without a star. Kevin Durant missed Game 1 because of a knee contusion, and his availability for Game 2 is uncertain.

On Sunday, the No. 1-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder blew out the No. 8-seeded Phoenix Suns 119-84 despite an off-game from Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who scored 25 points but shot just 5 for 18 in 29 minutes. The San Antonio Spurs also opened the playoffs with an impressive performance in their 111-98 win over the Portland Trail Blazers.

More coverage:
East takeaways | Schedules and results | Offseason guides

Game 1: Spurs 111, Trail Blazers 98

Biggest takeaway from Game 1: San Antonio showed up at Frost Bank Center outfitted for the occasion, eschewing its usual casual dress code and opting for all-black suits. The Spurs took a business approach into their Game 1 demolition, led by Victor Wembanyama, who enhanced his jaw-dropping physical skill set by deploying it in an intelligent and efficient manner.

Wembanyama, who was making his postseason debut, poured in 21 points in the first half, the highest scoring output in a player’s first career playoff opening half in the play-by-play era, according to ESPN Research. Before halftime, he scored or assisted on 24 points and held Portland’s shooters scoreless (0-of-6) as the contesting defender, helping San Antonio build a 10-point lead at the break that it would never relinquish.

Wembanyama became the third player in NBA history to have at least 30 points and hit five 3-pointers in his postseason debut, joining Kyrie Irving (2015) and Jordan Poole (2022), according to ESPN Research. — Michael C. Wright

Game 2: Trail Blazers at Spurs (8 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

What to watch in Game 2: Portland is the underdog, but its chances to make a mark in this series would increase if the Trail Blazers can supplement Deni Avdija‘s offensive production. Through the first three quarters, Portland had just two scorers in double figures other than Avdija (Scoot Henderson and Robert Williams III), while the Spurs had five players with at least 10 points.

Toumani Camara, Donovan Clingan and Jrue Holiday shot a combined 4-of-23 over the first three quarters. So, with San Antonio loading up to slow down Avdija, his teammates should be able to capitalize if they can knock down some of their solid looks.

San Antonio, meanwhile, will look to apply more pressure if it gains a sizable lead in Game 2 after nearly letting Portland back into this contest. The Spurs built a 10-point halftime lead, and the Blazers cut it to two points by scoring the first eight points of the second half. — Wright


Game 1: Thunder 119, Suns 84

Biggest takeaway from Game 1: A series-opening Sunday afternoon tip in Oklahoma City isn’t a fair fight for a No. 8 seed that had to fight to punch its playoff ticket Friday night.

For the second straight year, the Thunder had all but sealed the victory by halftime of Game 1 in the first round. Oklahoma City, which was a 14.5-point favorite, led by 21 at the half, fueled by scoring 21 points off 10 Phoenix turnovers. It was the largest halftime lead of any playoff game this weekend, but it’s familiar territory for Oklahoma City, which led by at least 20 at the half three times during its title run last postseason.

To their credit, the Suns had a much more respectable showing than the Memphis Grizzlies did a year ago, when the Thunder rolled to a 51-point victory in Game 1. — Tim MacMahon

Game 2: Suns at Thunder (Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)

What to watch in Game 2: The Suns need to find a solution to slow down Jalen Williams, Gilgeous-Alexander’s sidekick who is as healthy as he has been all season after coming off summer wrist surgery and dealing with recurring hamstring issues.

Williams finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting and six assists in 29 minutes. It didn’t help Phoenix that guard Jordan Goodwin, who took the defensive assignment on Gilgeous-Alexander to start the game, got into early foul trouble. That forced the Suns to switch Dillon Brooks onto Gilgeous-Alexander and use lesser defenders on Williams, whose penetration into the paint created all kinds of problems.

The game got out of reach during Gilgeous-Alexander’s seven-minute rest to start the second quarter, a span in which Williams had four points and four assists. — MacMahon


Game 1: Lakers 107, Rockets 98

Biggest takeaway from Game 1: The Lakers were dealt a terrible hand when Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves suffered injuries a couple of weeks before the playoffs began. On Saturday, Los Angeles caught a break when Rockets star Kevin Durant was a late scratch because of a right knee injury. And the Lakers seized the opportunity.

Other than the final four minutes of the second quarter, when the Lakers struggled and turned the ball over five times to allow Houston to cut the lead from eight to two points, L.A. played a brilliant offensive game. LeBron James (19 points, 12 assists, 8 rebounds) ignited the action with eight assists in the first quarter — the most assists in any quarter of his playoff career, according to ESPN Research — and the ball flowed the rest of the night, with all five starters scoring in double digits.

Luke Kennard, who scored a career-playoff-high 27 points on 9-for-13 shooting, was a favorite target of James, but Deandre Ayton (18 points on 8-of-10 shooting) and Rui Hachimura (14 points on 6-of-10 shooting) also made the most of their touches. The Lakers said all week they had rediscovered their belief after their backcourt went down. That belief will only grow going into Game 2. — Dave McMenamin

Game 2: Rockets at Lakers (Tuesday, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC/Peacock)

What to watch in Game 2: The obvious question for Houston is whether Durant will be available. Without the fifth-leading scorer in league history, the Rockets’ offense was rudderless. Houston shot just 37.6%, with Alperen Sengun missing 13 of his 19 shots, Reed Sheppard missing 14 of his 20, Amen Thompson missing 11 of his 18 and Jabari Smith Jr. missing nine of his 14.

The Lakers had the final five games of the regular season and all week during the play-in tournament to tinker with their game plan to survive without Doncic and Reaves, but the Rockets had to adjust to Durant’s injury on the fly. How Durant heals in the next 48 hours, or how the Rockets game plan for Tuesday if he isn’t available, could well decide the series. — McMenamin


Game 1: Nuggets 116, Timberwolves 105

What we learned from Game 1: Playoff Jamal Murray launched early this year. In years past, Murray came up with big games or big shots when the Nuggets had fallen into a hole or needed some heroics. This year, Murray came out of the gate in peak form, propelling Denver with 30 points, seven assists and five rebounds on a remarkable 16-for-16 from the free throw line. Denver needed every one of those points as Aaron Gordon got into early foul trouble and Nikola Jokic started slow with just six points in the first half. Jokic got on track in the second half, finishing with 25 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists for his 22nd postseason triple-double, third most in NBA history behind Magic Johnson (30) and LeBron James (28).

Denver broke open the game with a 14-0 run in the third quarter, during which Minnesota missed nine straight field goal attempts. Anthony Edwards was on the bench for the end of that run as Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch tried to get him some rest before the fourth quarter. Edwards is still managing pain in his right knee and will be doing so for as long as the season continues. He finished with a pedestrian-for-him 22 points in 37 minutes. — Ramona Shelburne

Game 2: Timberwolves at Nuggets (Monday, 10:30 p.m. ET, NBC)

What to watch for Game 2: These two teams have played more times than any two teams in the league the past three seasons. With the win in Game 1, the Nuggets now have a 15-14 advantage. That past is prologue to everything that happens in this series, and it is a fascinating chess match to behold.

Minnesota has to use its length and athleticism to do a better job of containing Murray on the perimeter — without fouling. His 16 free throws is a Denver postseason record (the entire Minnesota team shot 19 free throws), which is a reflection of his aggressiveness and the way the game was officiated. That dynamic has been a major point of contention throughout this rivalry, and it noticeably affects the results each game. It’ll be interesting to see whether that changes in Game 2, because the Timberwolves did well in virtually all the other facets of the game in which they usually thrive — finishing with 54 points in the paint. — Shelburne



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